White Tuque is proud to announce it has been selected by the Ontario Centre for Innovation (OCI) as an advisor in their Critical Industries Technology (CIT) Future Ready (CIT-FR) program. With a shared understanding that the integration of critical and developing technologies is the global future of industry, White Tuque is excited to be part of this OCI-led initiative. “Ontario’s leadership in critical technologies is essential for our province’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness. The Critical Industrial Technologies Initiative represents a significant investment in driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and propelling key sectors into the future,” said Claudia Krywiak, CEO and President of the Ontario Centre of Innovation.
Amplifying Ontario’s rich critical technology capabilities, the CIT Future Ready program is focused on four key economic sectors: mining, advanced manufacturing, construction, and agri-food. These four critical industries are central to Ontario’s economic growth and are interconnected to other industries in the global economy. This means they are both appealing and vulnerable to cyber threat actors around the world. In recent years there has been an increase in the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks in many sectors that are part of our critical infrastructure. In 2021, 50 per cent of all cyberattacks reported in Canada targeted Ontario businesses. It is more important than ever to ensure that Ontario’s businesses – specifically, its critical industries – are prepared to respond to cyberattacks, maintaining their operational resilience despite the evolving threats.
Why Your Business Needs to Be Future Ready
Through the CIT Future Ready program, eligible Ontario businesses work with a third-party consultant to train employees in the adoption and implementation of critical technologies, including cybersecurity. The CIT-FR program contributes up to a maximum of $10,000 in reimbursement funds (based on the business matching funds at a minimum of 1:1). Working with White Tuque under CIT-FR, businesses will benefit from a government-supported initiative with the guidance of cybersecurity experts, enhancing and strengthening the cyber, technology, and operational resiliency at any organization.
How CIT-FR and WT Can Help
Without question, the need for increased protection of Ontario’s critical industries is urgent. Committed to helping organizations defend themselves, White Tuque’s battle-tested experts are your skilled guide throughout the OCI CIT Future Ready program with services tailored to your industry and business goals.
Tabletop Exercises
Recognizing the crucial importance of these industries, White Tuque is proud to offer customized training and incident response preparedness through tabletop exercises. A valuable tool that promotes security awareness and validates incident response procedures, tabletop exercises are tailored with your people, process, and technology in mind to prepare your business for those very bad days.
White Tuque’s Founder and Head of Cyber Threat Intelligence, Robert D. Stewart, has managed and responded to hundreds of very bad days, and knows that prevention is possible. “Through Ontario’s CIT-Future Ready program, we’re equipping organizations with the tools to strengthen their cyber resilience,” he says. “A strong cybersecurity posture isn’t just about technology—it’s about preparation. By simulating real-world cyber incidents with a tabletop exercise, organizations gain the hands-on experience needed to respond effectively and minimize downtime. These critical industries form the backbone of our economy and ensuring they can withstand cyber threats is vital to their success.”
Educational Workshops & Customized Training
Many businesses have their employees participate in security awareness training on a regular basis, yet mistakes that lead to breaches still happen. Despite having awareness, if cybersecurity is not your company’s bread and butter, it can be challenging to develop effective awareness and training sessions on your own. Effective training takes into consideration not just the evolving threat landscape but also addresses commonly exploited vulnerabilities that threat actors use to attack a business like yours.
White Tuque’s training programs empower your team to feel in control of their response to suspicious activities. This is why White Turque teamed up with OCI to develop their Cybersecurity Workbook, a comprehensive yet manageable starting point for building and growing your cybersecurity program. “Tackling the challenge of cybersecurity for critical industry can be overwhelming, and that’s not surprising. Having a trusted resource to teach the steps you can take to enhance your organization’s cyber resiliency is a great first step, which is what makes the OCI Cybersecurity Workbook such a helpful tool,” says Laura Payne, CEO and Head of Security Consulting at White Tuque. “With the CIT-Future Ready program, we’re excited to leverage grants that make it even easier for us to work directly with businesses in critical industries as their trusted training partner and cybersecurity coach.”
Building on the Cybersecurity Workbook, educational workshops and customized training are developed based on your business, your industry, and your objectives for the future. Through training and workshops with our expert consultants, we work with you to ensure your business has a solid cybersecurity program in place.
Update, Upskill, Innovate
The need for strong and resilient businesses in Ontario’s critical industries has never been higher. The power of the Future Ready funding program combined with White Tuque’s expert approach to cybersecurity allows more businesses in Ontario to tackle challenges today, enabling resiliency and growth beyond tomorrow.
Get Future Ready! Learn how today.
